US Secretary of State declares South African ambassador persona non grata

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, has been declared persona non grata. Rubio referred to Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” who harbors strong anti-American sentiments, particularly against former President Donald Trump.

“South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio said in a post on the social media platform X. “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered persona non grata,” he added, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Rasool, who had presented his credentials to former President Joe Biden on January 13, marking the start of his second tenure as South Africa's envoy to the US, has faced significant diplomatic tensions during his assignment. According to the South African embassy’s website, his initial tenure in Washington ended before being reappointed to the post.

Both the US State Department and the South African Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment following Rubio’s announcement.

The move by Rubio comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and South Africa, which have worsened since former President Donald Trump’s decision to cut U.S. financial aid to the country. Trump cited his disapproval of South Africa’s land policy and its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel, a US ally. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land” and that “certain classes of people” are being “treated very badly.”

Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire and close ally of Trump, has also supported this narrative, asserting that white South Africans have suffered from "racist ownership laws."

In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that makes it easier for the government to expropriate land in the public interest, in some instances without compensation. Ramaphosa has defended the policy, stating that it aims to address historical racial disparities in land ownership in the Black-majority nation, and that no land has been confiscated under the new law.

The diplomatic rift between the US and South Africa continues to unfold as tensions over land policy and racial issues remain a significant point of contention.

By Vafa Guliyeva